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Original Masson Mill Bell 1785
Original Masson Mill Bell 1785

This is the original bell from Masson Mills – it was founded in 1785 by Geo Hedderley of Nottingham. The Latin inscription reads: “Intacto sileo percute dulce canto” - “Untouched I am silent, tap me and I sing sweetly”

The original groove for the bell rope can be seen in the wall above the present position of the bell.

The bell was still being rung to call the people to work at Masson Mills from the surrounding local villages right up until the outbreak of the Second World War, after which time most households had a clock. One ex-millworker living in Wirksworth said that he could hear the bell from there and it took him 20 minutes to run to work! (reported from a conversation c. 1995 with Mr. Frank Land a past manager of Masson Mills) .